Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Public expenditure management and achieving value for money, within agreed Ceilings voted by Dáil Éireann, is a key responsibility of every Department and Minister.

Expenditure profiles for 2024 were completed by all Votes in February and submitted to my Department. Performance against these profiles is used in-year to monitor the expenditure position and details are published monthly in the Fiscal Monitor.

At end Quarter Two 2024, gross expenditure is €47.1 billion. This demonstrates the significant investment Government continues to provide across the public service to protect living standards, improve public services, and safeguard our future through enhanced capital investment.

This level of spending is 3.3% above projections for this period. While the majority of Vote Groups remain at or near profile, these figures demonstrate a number of developing risks that require continued and enhanced expenditure management across the remainder of the year.

In terms of areas substantially above profile in the June Fiscal Monitor, Health has an end June overspend against profile of €1 billion or 9.7% with expenditure by acute hospitals the primary driver of these pressures at this stage in the year. This is the main driving factor behind the overall overspend position and there continues to be ongoing engagement between my Department and the Department of Health in this regard.

Other areas where there are significant variations from profile at end June are in Education; Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; and Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Part of this is increased capital spending as implementation of the National Development Plan continues, with the end June position reflecting the better than expected delivery on social housing and school buildings in the year to date.

My Department stays in regular communication with these areas and all other Departments to ensure expenditure is managed within overall fiscal parameters and there are a number of processes and procedures that support this including:

1. Drawdowns from the Exchequer are monitored against published profiles.

2. Key data and information in relation to voted expenditure is published monthly in the Fiscal Monitor.

3. Quarterly reporting to Government by the main spending Departments on their respective sectors also takes place alongside the overall expenditure management updates provided by my Department.

4. Regular engagement, through a number of fora, between spending Departments and my Department at senior official level.

I will continue to engage with my colleagues across Government to ensure expenditure management in the period ahead.